John Calvin Brewster
J. C. Brewster (1841-1909) was born about the time the first viable photographic processes were announced to the world. It was an exciting time of rapid innovation for this new medium. Young Brewster eagerly pursued learning all he could about image making. In time he went from apprenticing to plying his craft as a full-fledged itinerant photographer working in towns thought the West.
In 1874, he visited Ventura for what was supposed to be only a few days work. He fell in love with the community of 600 souls and stayed for the rest of his life. It helped that he also fell in love with a widow, Mary O’Beria Sinclair, and married her in 1875. They had two children, a son who lived only two years and a daughter, Pansy Augusta. You will see pictures of Mary and Pansy in this exhibit as well as a sample of his many self-portraits.
Brewster established himself as a prominent Ventura citizen. He was known both as a businessman and for his participation in many local community activities. His affable personality and society’s obsession with the novelty of photography nourished his success. Of equal importance was his fervent interest in keeping up with the latest processes and equipment as the public demanded.
Brewster’s primary business was largely studio portraiture throughout his thirty-year career. However, he traveled widely throughout Ventura County shooting things in the field that interested him. Many of the earliest photographs taken in the Ojai Valley are attributed to Brewster. He documented the Valley’s many vistas as well as its people for posterity.
As you look at these photographs, allow yourself to imagine life a hundred years ago. Cameras were cumbersome and long exposure times led to stiff poses. Compared to other images of the time, you will see how Brewster captured relaxed casual portraits. This was particularly true of his personal family photographs. He also was always experimenting. Check out the portrait of his wife with mirror image. His photographs often have an element that brings them to life. One such example is the man showing something to a group of people. It is basically a boring image, except his daughter steals the scene laying down in the foreground, looking at the camera.
Curator’s note: J.C. Brewster strived for the best print quality in his time. We have tried to represent his work as he might if he were alive now using today’s technology. The prints in this exhibit have been enlarged, processed to expand tonal range and retouched to remove spots and fading.
In 1874, he visited Ventura for what was supposed to be only a few days work. He fell in love with the community of 600 souls and stayed for the rest of his life. It helped that he also fell in love with a widow, Mary O’Beria Sinclair, and married her in 1875. They had two children, a son who lived only two years and a daughter, Pansy Augusta. You will see pictures of Mary and Pansy in this exhibit as well as a sample of his many self-portraits.
Brewster established himself as a prominent Ventura citizen. He was known both as a businessman and for his participation in many local community activities. His affable personality and society’s obsession with the novelty of photography nourished his success. Of equal importance was his fervent interest in keeping up with the latest processes and equipment as the public demanded.
Brewster’s primary business was largely studio portraiture throughout his thirty-year career. However, he traveled widely throughout Ventura County shooting things in the field that interested him. Many of the earliest photographs taken in the Ojai Valley are attributed to Brewster. He documented the Valley’s many vistas as well as its people for posterity.
As you look at these photographs, allow yourself to imagine life a hundred years ago. Cameras were cumbersome and long exposure times led to stiff poses. Compared to other images of the time, you will see how Brewster captured relaxed casual portraits. This was particularly true of his personal family photographs. He also was always experimenting. Check out the portrait of his wife with mirror image. His photographs often have an element that brings them to life. One such example is the man showing something to a group of people. It is basically a boring image, except his daughter steals the scene laying down in the foreground, looking at the camera.
Curator’s note: J.C. Brewster strived for the best print quality in his time. We have tried to represent his work as he might if he were alive now using today’s technology. The prints in this exhibit have been enlarged, processed to expand tonal range and retouched to remove spots and fading.